Amethyst Tears
by Dearest
Summary: It seems as though we all have things that we run from. It's easier to run, to get away. But where exactly do you run to? Al wants to help her, but Ed's not exactly thrilled about it.
1. Broke

_Chapter 1: Broke _

"No money, no food."

"Pllllllease! I'll do anything, clean dishes? Sweep up? Waitress!" The girl followed behind him like a shadow. "Please, sir...I'm dying here."

"Shoo!"

"Come on! A left over maybe?"

"I said scram!"

"Half a doughnut? A crumb!"

Alphonse Elric turned in his chair to see what all the commotion was about. He watched as the Inn's owner, a bald headed man with a thick mustache and narrow eyes, frowned down upon a young girl. She was on her knees now, hands clasped, begging with large, pleading eyes. She was resilient and 'no' was a word simply not in her vocabulary.

"We should help her out," Al stated to his older brother seated across from him. But Edward was too busy scarfing down his fifth bowl of rice. With his mouth full he finally replied,

"Eh?" A grain of rice fell from his lip. Al pointed to the girl several feet away, who was still carrying on to the Inn's owner.

"For the LAST time, you got no money so you ain't gettin no food. Now STOP naggin' me and scram!" The man angrily stomped off into the back. Defeated, she plunked herself down to the hard wood floor and sniffled.

"What a stupid head..." She muttered as her stomach growled in agreement. Ed raised an eyebrow. Unfazed, he blew his brother's suggestion off,

"She's a basket case." And he ended it there by resuming his feeding frenzy. Al turned to look at her again and watched sympathetically as she wiped at her nose.

"But we have more than enough. We could share." Ed groaned,

"We do not." But his younger brother seemed not to have heard his retort, because Ed watched as Al got up and approached the girl, asking if she'd like to join them. Ed grinded his teeth and pouted. He ignored them as the two sat down, but he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on him. He looked up, almost choking on his food. His own eyes went wide as he looked to the girl before him. Her deep brown hair and blue eyes reminded him of his mother.

"Here," Al offered as he took one of Ed's untouched bowls and handed it to the girl, who immediately thanked him and started eating as hungrily as Ed was. Al expected a verbal protest from his brother but when he did not hear one he noticed his brother staring. "This is Elly, Ed." He introduced her. "And Elly this is, my older brother, Ed." Elly politely stopped eating, despite her hunger pains and smiled brightly at him,

"Hi!" She picked up a hand to wave and Ed blinked at her, raising an eyebrow, finally able to shake the memory in his head.

"Well you're mighty cheerful. You were cryin' your eyes out like a baby before." Elly shot him a look and swallowed her food,

"Hey, I was hungry, I couldn't help it. But thanks to your brother here, I'm remedying that!" Ed looked far from amused, Al may have took it upon himself to invite this girl, but HE was the one who had paid for the food. "So, huh...you're the older one?" She pointed at him and immediately Ed's expression melted into an agitated one. He could feel his right eye begin to twitch.

"Yep, he is," Al confirmed.

"I would have figured you for the oldest, seeing as you're a lot bigger and all." And Elly returned swiftly back to eating while Ed threw daggers at her with his glare. To quickly change the subject, Al asked the girl about where she was headed. Elly shrugged,

"Don't really know actually..." Her words muffled by a full mouth. "Where ever I happen to get to."

"And you're all alone?" Al inquired, ignoring the warning look Ed shot him. But Elly didn't answer right away and instead began poking the rice with the end of the chopstick.

"Pretty much..." Al exchanged glances with Ed but it was clear from his expression that Ed made his feelings known.

"Could you excuse us for a minute?" Al asked politely and in one quick motion, pulled Ed from the table. Once out of ear shot and sight, Ed let him have it.

"NO."

"Ed..."

"I SAID NO, ALPHONSE."

"You sound like that mean old Inn keeper." Ed sighed heavily and put a hand to his head.

"Look, Al, I know you wanna help everyone but the reality is that you can't! We can't afford to be looking after someone else. We need to keep focus on what we're after. The last thing we need is some strange girl followin' us. And besides, she's a girl not a kitten."

"We won't have to look after her, she's older than both of us! And, doesn't she look-"

"Stop, Al...just stop. That's why you want her to come with us?"

"No, she needs help and company. I'm sure she wouldn't stay with us forever."

"Oh you're sure, huh?" And Ed glanced past him at Elly who sat quietly with her head down. "She said she's not headed anywhere, so we can't help her. You have to think of the danger too. It wouldn't exactly be fair to drag her into our problems." Al bowed his large helmet,

"I know but..."

"This is a HOLD UP PEOPLE. ON THE FLOOR, ALL O' YOU." Al spun around to see a masked man, followed by two others, dressed from head to toe in black. In his right hand he paraded a gun and forced Elly down to the floor. Al went for him, and as the robber saw this large suit of armor advancing on him he shot three bullets, of which none had effected him. Al forced the gun from the stunned man and grabbed both his wrists behind his back. Ed, meanwhile had transmutated a wooden chair nearby to imprison the second thug within its morphed spindles. Al turned his attention to the floor to ask Elly if she was alright but found she was not there. Both brother's searched the room of startled costumers, finally laying their eyes on the third man, lying unconscious on the floor, his pistol in Elly's hand. She stood proudly and grinned, waving the weapon casually.

All three left the Inn, and the moments of excitement, behind them. Elly, meanwhile, munched happily on a large bowl of shrimp and brown rice as she walked. After what had taken place, the Inn Keeper was more than happy to reward her with food. Ed pouted,

"It figures he claims to not have seen us help."

"Brother..." Said Al.

"I tried to tell him," Elly claimed, her mouth full again, "but he's the biggest cheap skate I've ever seen. He just didn't want to give away too much food and lose money."

"Not surprising," Ed said and stretched his arms out in front of him. "So where'd you learn to do that?"

"Do what?" Elly asked curiously.

"Kick butt..." She shrugged, glancing into the large bowl,

"A girls gotta learn how to defend herself when she's alone." She stopped walking, allowing the two boys to continue ahead of her and when they noticed she was not with them, they stopped and looked back at her.

"Everything ok?" Al questioned.

"Do you guys really want me to come with you?" Ed folded his arms, unable to admit he had not planned on her going anywhere with them. She may have proved herself capable of fending off an attacker, but it had not swayed his decision much. Al realized Ed wasn't about to have the guts to say it to the poor girls face.

"We do." Al replied confidently.

"You're sure?" She watched the large knight nod his head. "Cause I'm getting a different vibe there from blondy." Ed frowned at her,

"Excuse me?"

"Well, if I'm gonna go anywhere with you guys, I gotta ask a few questions." Ed looked at her, dumbfounded. This girl sure had some nerve.

"Go ahead," Al complied.

"How come you're wearing that big old suit of armor? Aren't you dieing of heat exhaustion walking around in that? And what's with the white gloves? Fashion statement?" She motioned to Ed's hands and he clenched his teeth. Al looked nervously to Ed who only sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was to be bothered by having to explain their life story. He especially didn't feel like having to answer to some strange girl who had already offended him twice, even if she had done so unintentionally.

"Well, you see, uh, I, it's um, er-" They listened to Al stammer like that until Ed couldn't bare it any longer. He stared over at Elly, and rubbed at his forehead. He'd give in, but only just this once.

"Listen, Elly, it's fine and dandy you wanna interrogate us." Even though his expression said otherwise. "We'll oblige, just so long as you return the same favor." Elly studied them, thinking it over in her head. Ed watched as her lips spread into a smile,

"Fair enough."


	2. Not So Perfect Strangers

_Chapter 2: Not So Perfect Strangers_

Elly waved her hand and closed her eyes, "Pft, you guys are pulling my leg." The three were seated on the stone steps of a public building. Al sat straight up, his hands folded in his lap and Ed slumped back, his elbows propped up on a step behind him. He looked bored out of his skull.

"But it's the truth," Al insisted. "We don't have any reason to lie to you."

"Your story is just a little hard to buy is all," Elly told him. Ed smirked,

"From what we saw back in the Inn, you don't seem to buy much of anything."

"Ed!" Al scolded.

"No, it's okay. He's right, I am kinda broke..." Ed inhaled,

"So, okay, we told you our deal, now you tell us yours."

"Not much to tell to be honest. I'm just like any other seventeen year old girl, following her destiny." And in humor, she made sparkly eyes whilst clasping her hands hopefully. Al sat quietly while Ed made a face at her,

"Uh huh...sure. Care to elaborate?"

"I didn't think you'd be satisfied with that," Elly grinned at him but Ed looked away. "Well, I was sorta kicked out from my previous residence..." Ed perked up,

"Kicked out? Why? What did you do?"

"They didn't want me there anymore." _Well, duh, obviously,_ Ed thought. _She sure does love beating around the bush._

"But we wanna know why. And who kicked you out exactly?" Elly shifted uncomfortably and Al spoke up for her,

"It's her business if she doesn't want to tell us, Ed. Leave her be." Ed shook his head,

"No. We told her about us, now she has to tell us about her like we agreed." But Elly had her eyes cast down and she made no sign that she'd give an explanation. Ed scoffed and got to his feet,

"Lets go Al, we don't have the time for this." And Al hesitated as he threw his glance from Ed to Elly.

"Brother, wait!" He charged loudly after him down the street. "Where are you going?" He asked when he caught up to him.

"It's a big waste of our time, Al. If she doesn't want to let us in on who she is, then why should we trust her? Besides, if she's so hesitant to tell us anything, she's hiding something and it's most likely bad."

"Maybe it isn't, maybe she's just embarrassed or sad about it." Ed stopped walking and looked up at his younger sibling.

"You do realize that you're standing up for a complete stranger. I wish you'd be a little more suspicious of people sometimes, Alphonse. If you don't, it's going to land you in a lot of trouble." But Al said nothing and instead stared down intently at him. Ed sighed, looking away.

"But if everyone did that, there'd be no such thing as kindness in the world anymore. There'd be a whole ton of people that would never have helped us. I want to help her, Ed. I just do. You've always told me how good it is do to the right thing. We both learned that from mom." Ed looked down at the ground where weeds had taken over a patch of white flowers.

"She's gone." Al said quietly when they had made their way back to the stone steps. Ed looked around them, but she was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't long before they abruptly heard loud shouts coming from a nearby supply store. They could hear a woman's thick voice snap harshly,

"I told you to LEAVE. What do I look like? A soup kitchen!" Ed shook his head,

"No she isn't..."

**Thanks for reading! And, to be honest, I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to get back to this story to continue with more chapters. I kinda started it on a whim, and because the idea had been brewing in my mind. I also wanted to try my hand at writing the FMA characters. I'm also not sure about the rating or the title, they may change.**

**So, as of now, it's up in the air. I'm also in the process of writing my own original story, so that's been consuming much of my writing time. **

**Alrighty, I'll try and get back to it if I can, toodle loo!**


	3. Hello, Alphonse

_Chapter 3: Hello, Alphonse_

Elly suddenly felt someone take her by her right arm and she jumped, then quickly realized it was Blondy standing behind her. He grinned, but not at her, at the perturbed shop keeper in front of them.

"I apologize for my sister, ma'am," Ed began, still flashing a toothy grin while Elly stared at him, bewildered. "Where in the world have you been! Don't you know I've been worried sick?" His eyes, like two gold nuggets, bore into her. Elly only frowned down at him. Turning his attention back to the plump woman, he explained, "You have to forgive her, she's a little," and Ed made a swirly motion with his index finger, gesturing at his head, "nuts. Bye!" And before Elly could berate him for it he yanked her from the shop.

"Elly!" Al said cheerfully. She smiled up at him, then pulled away from Ed, rubbing her arm.

"Ya know, you're insanely strong." And Ed stood proudly at the compliment. "I mean, for someone so small anyway." Ed exploded into a rage, his face contorting into one more befitting for a gargoyle.

"Damn you're aggravating! I've only known you for about twenty minutes now, and already I can't stand you!" Elly folded her arms.

"Yeah? So what was that all about?" She stuck out her thumb, pointing in the direction of the shop. When Ed said nothing she continued, "You made it pretty clear before you didn't want me with you, so I left. But then you show up, like you were looking for me, proceed to lie about me being 'nuts' and then dragged me from a store only to blow up in my face. NOW who's aggravating, Mr. Elric?" Al was silent, rattled by all this drama. Ed stared at her then abruptly turned to his brother who gave him a nervous look.

"What do you think, Al?"

"Uh..."

"Hey, now don't go bringing him into this! Al's polite and kind and considerate and you're, just, well," Elly stammered, trying to figure out what to say next; hopefully something clever. "Not!" No such luck.

Ed sneered and walked away, leaving Al conflicted and Elly upset. She mumbled after him, "Idiot..." Al watched Ed storm off and sighed. He looked to Elly who stood before him, pouting. And while her features may have reminded him of his mother, she began to remind him more of his brother.

"I'm sorry I acted the way I did," Elly told Al as the two stood nearby a small lake while she skipped stones.

"Ed can be a lot to handle sometimes." He offered.

"Oh yeah," She agreed, then paused. "But then, I guess, so can I." Elly let herself fall to the ground, back flat against the grass, her eyes reflecting the blue in the sky above. Al sat down beside her, staring out onto the water where a dragonfly landed.

"So you really don't believe us?" He asked innocently. Elly lifted her head from off the ground and looked at him but he maintained his gaze on the ripples. She laid her head back down, allowing the blades of grass to cushion her.

"Yes and no." Confused, Al turned his head to look down at her and she sat up, hugging her knees. "What I mean is, yes I believe what you've told me, most of it, but you left out bits and pieces." Al tensed because she was right. As he listened to Ed explain their story earlier, his brother had intentionally left out a few details. For one, he did not bring up the philosophers stone which had surprised Al, and two, he never said a thing about their mother. Al didn't exactly know what to say, he felt like saying sorry but couldn't bring himself to speak. "So, what Ed said about you, that's true, right?"  
Al snapped out of his trance of thoughts,

"Uh, yes. It's true."

"Can I look?" Al flinched,

"Look?"

"Yeah, inside. I want to see what you really look like." Even though it was not visible, Al frowned. Didn't she know it was his soul that was attached to the armor? His physical body had been lost. That much, Ed had divulged.

Puzzled, Al allowed it, removing his helmet which he half expected to shock her by doing but she didn't seem the least bit taken back. Instead, she slowly got to her knees and looked inside the armor. She knelt this way, peering in, Al holding his substitute metal head. He began to think, for anyone passing by, it must have been some sight. And then, he realized she was smiling gently down at him.

"Hi, Al." Elly said simply, as if for the first time.

**Ok so I'm having more fun writing this than first expected and I've shelled out more chapters! wootness. They came pretty easy to me, dontchya just love it when the words flow well? yay. more to come soon, please review! it's really appreciated. thank ya.  
**


	4. My Gift, My Curse

_Chapter 4: My Gift, My Curse_

_Jeez, who the hell does she think she is?_ Ed's thoughts echoed angrily in his mind. All he did was try to help her and he hadn't even really wanted to in the first place. When he finally had, she showed no gratitude toward him. That old bag could have had her arrested for public disturbance. He was also angry at his brother because Al had chosen to stay with Elly instead of leaving with his own flesh and blood.

But then he started kicking himself for getting so mad over some girl he didn't even know. He went from feeling mad to feeling foolish. He dug his hands into his pockets and kept his head bowed as he wandered the streets, headed nowhere in particular.

"Hey! Ed!" He heard a familiar voice yell out to him. Looking up, Ed turned around and saw Lt. Havoc waving, a cigarette dangling from his lip as usual. Ed waited for him to catch up and watched as Havoc huffed and puffed, attempting to catch his breath. "Phew!" He gasped, finally standing up from his hunched over position. "I'm so out of shape." Ed pursed his lips as he watched Havoc take another puff of smoke into his already exhausted lungs. He had to resist the urge to slap the damn thing from the man's hand, even though it would only be helping him. "So what brings you here?" Ed shrugged.

"Just passing through."

"Oh yeah? Where's Alphonse?" Ed muttered,

"Off with some lunatic."

"Oh you mean that girl." His attention clearly caught, Ed looked inquiringly up at him,

"Girl?"

"Yeah, Mustang mentioned seeing you two with some girl." Ed lowered his head in defeat. Great, now he'd never hear the end of it.

"Al looking for a girlfriend for himself?"

"Psh, she's a lot of things but girlfriend's not one of them."

"Havoc!" A female voice hollered for him.

"Ah jeez!" Havoc fumbled, immediately throwing the cigarette to the ground. Ed looked on curiously. As the brunette officer approached, Havoc smiled widely.

"Breaks over, Lieutenant," She informed then sniffed the air. "I thought you told me you were quitting."

"Eventually," He answered sheepishly and blushed. The woman rolled her eyes at him and politely bid Ed a good day before steadily walking off. Still looking sheepish, Havoc said goodbye and followed her quickly. Ed shook his head after him, then began to wonder what the military were doing here. He moved to keep walking but fell hard to the ground as something large smacked him upside the head. Groaning, he sat up off the ground and rubbed his temple, looking up he saw a large red ball rolling swiftly down the street. Passing him wildly and laughing up a storm, were three young boys, no older than ten. As he was about to go nuts on them for hitting him, he suddenly heard faint crying come from behind him. Getting to his feet, Ed turned around to see a young girl standing all alone, tears striding down her round cheeks in great streams.

"Give it back!" She managed to croak out, passing Ed like he hadn't been standing there. The three boys had now taken possession of the ball; they grinned at her and started laughing.

"Not a chance." One of the boys crooned, his brown eyes mocking her with delight. She sniffled,

"Why can't you share? I just want to play with you guys."

"As if," Another boy shot back. "You're a girl and there's no way we'd ever play with you. This ball is ours now so take off!" Ed could see her tiny form shake with a shattering sob and he glared at her oppressors. God, kids could be so dumb. He hoped he had never been that stupid when he was their age. She bowed her head, the tears still flowing.

"But my father gave it to me."

"Well it's ours now!" And the boys seemed to find that highly amusing as they all laughed again and turned to take off.

"Oh, no you don't." Ed muttered, clapping his hands palm to palm and then crushing them against the hard earth below. The boys gasped as a giant wall of hard rock flew up in front of them. The kid holding the ball, tripped and this sent the ball flying off ahead. Ed made the earth shoot forth from the ground, sending the toy flying towards him which he caught firmly with one hand.

All four children whipped around to him and the girl stared up at him in awe. He smiled wickedly at the three boys who all gasped and scrambled to their feet. "This ball belongs to the girl, don't even think about taking it from her again!" He warned and watched them race off in fear. He smiled gently down at her and handed the ball to her. She wiped her tears and smiled up at him, accepting it. Shyly, she thanked him and he grinned. "No problem." And he watched with pride as she took off running. He watched her and turned to walk away, then heard her tiny voice proclaim,

"Hey guys, wait up!" Dumbfounded, Ed fell to the floor.

Elly sat back onto the bottoms of her heels, still smiling faintly as Al slowly placed his helmet back atop his armor. He didn't quite know what to say so Elly spoke up, averting her eyes,

"You look quite a lot like your brother." Al said nothing because confusion had overwhelmed his thoughts. What did she mean? She was talking as if she had actually seen him.

"How-I mean..." Elly smiled at him again and even though he did not physically have one, he felt his heart stop.

"It's why I am where I am now. Why I'm even sitting here with you like this." Al still couldn't understand what she was saying. All the same he was still and patient, waiting for her to continue, hoping he'd come to comprehend. "It's why they forced me to leave." Al gasped, but it was so low she hadn't heard him. "I can't really blame them though. It scared me too."

"What did?" Al asked, finding his voice.

"My gift, my curse."

Ed, now bored, and admittedly lonely, surrendered to his desire to go and search for his brother. They had spent too much time idle as it was. And if anything had been precious to them along their journey,besides each other, it had been time. There just weren't enough hours in a day, or days in a week. Sometimes, however, it was just the opposite and days seemed to drag on like years. He figured those two could be anywhere by now, but he knew his brother and knew just where to look first.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Al prodded.

"I could sense your brother wouldn't be a very receptive audience. I feared he'd react the same way my town had and reject me." He knew she had been right in that assumption. Despite all of the horrible, amazing, mind boggling things they had encountered, despite alchemy, Al knew his brother wouldn't bring himself to believe this one thing.

"There you are." Ed's voice called out, like a dagger flung between the two. Al got to his feet.

"Where have you been?" Ed approached him, leaving one hand in his pocket.

"Around." He wasn't about to say it, but Al knew his older sibling had been searching for them. He could sense the lingering tension. Ed was the most stubborn person he knew and he was doing his best to ignore Elly. Elly, meanwhile, got to her feet and smiled again to Al.

"Well, it was nice meeting you." And she took his hand to shake it. After she past the two, Al held up his hand to stop her but Ed placed his own atop it.

"Elly..." Ed called to her, and she stopped, surprised.

"Yes?"

"If you still want to, come with us."


	5. You Really See Me

_Chapter 5: You Really See Me _

Elly stared at Ed in bewilderment and Al raised his hands happily, "You mean it, brother?"

"I wouldn't have said so if I didn't." Elly studied him,

"Why the change of heart?" She was taken back when he gave her a genuine smile.

"Well, who likes being alone?" Elly blinked at him, realizing his question was rhetorical. All the same, she gave him a reply anyway.

"Nobody."

They had just reached the town borders when Elly began to inform them,

"I don't want you taking any sort of pity on me."

"That's not why I-" Ed began but she cut him off,

"Because I'm more than capable of being alone..." As per usual, Al remained silent, wondering where this conversation would land them and he hoped it wouldn't be smack dab in the middle of another fight. They continued walking, Elly trailing their footsteps. Ed kept moving, not caring to turn around for eye contact.

"Just because we can be, doesn't mean we want to be," he informed. Elly smiled weakly.

"You're pretty smart for a kid." Ed grumbled,

"I am NOT a kid. And besides," he paused, "you don't have to be smart to know something as simple as that."

"I know, it's just, when I look at you, you're so young but the things that come out of your mouth...if you were a book, and all anyone could see were the words, they'd take you for a very old man. You're wise beyond your years, Edward Elric." Still he kept walking, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips.

"Yeah, well, life does that to you, Elly..." Ed didn't know her last name.

"Just Elly." She informed, expecting this to agitate him as it didn't take very much to upset his temper. To her surprise, he said nothing and they continued walking in silence, reaching the next town as night consumed day.  
Getting a room in the city's first happened upon inn, they settled into the room that only had two double beds. "I'll sleep on the floor." Elly quickly volunteered.

"No, you take the bed," Al offered. "I don't need a bed. I don't sleep." She should have expected as much but Elly found herself surprised by this.

"I'll go and try to find us something to eat. Stay here, I'll be right back," said Ed. And the two were left alone again, watching as his form disappeared behind the withered oak door. Elly flopped herself onto the bed, staring up at the water stain on the pale ceiling. They were silent for several minutes and she could sense him preparing to question her.

"I promise to tell him," Elly blurted, as if reading Al's mind. "Just not yet." Al nodded and took a seat by the small window. "But I'm right about him," Elly suddenly said and Al turned to look at her, her body still spread about the bed's crumpled sheets. "Aren't I?"

"Ed's been through a lot..." Al muttered, staring back out the window into darkness.

"And so have you," she replied. "I know he deserves to know, but now isn't the right time."

"But when will it be the right time, Elly? As they're taking off with you?"

"I won't be allowing them to take me anywhere. I'd die first before helping the likes of them."

"Have they've tried before?"

"No. I suspect word hasn't reach them yet."

"You have to tell Ed tonight, Elly. Or I will." She was thrown off by his sudden ultimatum. It was the last thing she had expected him to do.

"He'll have nothing to do with me afterwards. I'll be saying goodbye, for good." She let him know and Al was silent for a few moments.

"It was like you were looking right at me. I mean not this," Al motioned to his armor, "but the real me."

"That's because I was."

**_note:_ I don't write merely for reviews, that'd be dumb, wouldn't it? I wont simply stop posting because I don't receive "enough reviews"...I want to share.  
it may just be fan fiction but its still a story and I'm still a writer, so review or not I'll continue solely because I enjoy writing it. Just know, reviews are still greatly appreciated...compliments and criticisms alike. Who doesn't like feedback? I like to know what readers are thinking.  
thanks!**


	6. You Miss Her

_Chapter 6: You Miss Her_

Ed was laughing. Hard. But Al and Elly were silent, their stares glued to the floorboards. Even Al had never seen him laugh this much in a very long time. Ed even began choking on the noodles in his bowl and he made a fist, hitting his chest. When he finally calmed down he shook his head, "You got me there." And he shifted his dinner with the chopsticks. Elly set down her bowl on the small table, and sat Indian style on the chair. Ed looked up at her with noodles dangling from his mouth. "What," He began, mouth full, "you're not gonna eat?" But Elly didn't answer.

"It's true," Al insisted. "What Elly told you wasn't a joke." Ed didn't turn around to look at his brother and instead waved his hand, dismissing it.

"I know what you guys are up to. And I'm not falling for it." Elly darted her eyes to Al who only looked back at her. He continued,

"When Elly and I were sitting by the lake, she told me. She saw me, Ed..." Ed turned around this time and squinted his eyes at Al, then wiggled his fingers,

"Ooooh! Amazing! She saw you...oh would you look at that," he teased. "So can I!" And he smiled knowingly and resumed in eating.

"He doesn't mean like that," Elly said. "I saw your brother, for real. I saw his soul." Ed frowned up at her and dropped his chopsticks.

"You can't see a person's soul," he told her seriously.

"No, not everyone can. But I can." Ed shook his head,

"You really _are_ nuts."

"She is not, brother!" Al defended, getting to his feet. "I know what I felt when she looked at me. All people ever see is this," He pounded on the heavy metal of his suit. Ed could hear his brother's voice rising. Al was clearly upset.

"Al..." Ed said, a bit shaken.

"When people see me," Al continued, calmer, "they really don't. But Elly did. She's not joking, and she's not lying. She can see souls. Sometimes, she can even talk to them." Ed broke his gaze from Al, turning to the girl across from him.

"Either you're both amazing actors, or you're serious."

"I can tell you right now," Elly said. "I didn't win the talent show I put on when I was eight." Ed scoffed,

"What did you do? Tell the audience you could speak to ghosts?" But Elly made no reply and only looked away from him.

"It's not funny, Ed," Al said to him.

"So you believe her?"

"I do."

"I don't know HOW you got my brother to buy that made up story," Ed started. Al froze, wanting to protest but not knowing what else he could possibly say. "But you're taking advantage of his naivety." This hit Al hard and he bowed his head. "I don't know what it is that's so big you can't let us in on it, that you have to make up some phony story to cover it. But I will find out who, and what, you really are." Ed stomped away from the table, shrugging on his coat and turning the knob with his hand.

"You miss her." Elly said simply and Ed stopped dead. "She misses you too." He did not turn to face her, he didn't move at all.

"What?" His voice was low. Al looked to her, astonished.

"Your mother..." Elly continued.

"Shut up. Don't even think of speaking her name. Not that you would know anyway." And he slammed the door behind him.

"I know I upset you but that was not my intention."

"Just leave me alone." Ed snapped. Elly stood uncomfortably, several feet from the Elric brother who did not believe her. But she had expected as much. She studied him, his long blonde hair shielded his face so she could not see his expression, and he was sitting, knees drawn close to his chest. Elly did not draw near him and instead placed her back against the uneven walls of the inn.

"There's a lot of stars out tonight," she commented but he remained silent. "It'll be nice tomorrow."

"Then what exactly is your intention?" He seethed. "I tried to brush off and respect the fact that you had something in your past you didn't want us to know. I honestly wanted to respect your privacy. I figured if you trusted us enough you'd tell us, eventually. But then you go and throw this on my brother, and then try to convince me that some bogus lie is true. I realize it was never your trust I was trying to earn. It's you who needs my trust. And from what just happened, you don't have it."

"I know..." Elly whispered, "so I'll leave you alone. Both of you. I know all too well when I'm not wanted." And she began to walk away quietly.

"So that's it?" Ed called after her and she stopped, her hand gripping the railing on the steps. "That's why they kicked you out?" She nodded simply, her hand still holding on to the railing. "They didn't believe you either?"

"Some of them didn't. There are always people who are skeptical and suspicious. But some of them did, that's why I was forced to leave. People are afraid of what they cannot understand." Ed looked at her, she was right about that at least. "And I was bringing unwanted attention. Things would happen to people that they could not explain. Many people from out of town came only to find me. They wanted to start some big business off of me, for profit of course. I turned it away, naturally. This is not something I merely choose to do, nor is it something I do for personal gain. I do it for them, and for them only."

"'Them'?" Ed asked, even though he had a good idea of who she was referring to. He just didn't want to admit this was something to speak about like it were true.

"Yes." And it seemed as though she didn't need to give him an answer, because she simply felt he already knew. "Like Al said to me before, I have no reason to lie to you. I have nothing to gain from you, except perhaps friendship. No one likes to be alone." She reminded him. And with that, Elly bid him good night and ascended the stairs. Before she could reach the door, she heard him approach the steps below.

"About before, what you said..." Elly could hear the slight uneasiness in his voice and she could sense his hesitation. "You said... you said that she misses me too." Elly slowly turned around and sat down on the first step but Ed made no move to join her there.

"She does. Both of you." Ed looked away.

"Whatever Al told you..."

"Al never mentioned her to me, because neither did you." Ed shot up his head to her, his eyes searching.

"But it's in a different way," Elly began.

"'A different way'?" She nodded slowly.

"You both long for her physically. You can't see her because it's not like how it used to be. You miss her for her smile, for the way she held you..." And Ed tensed because it was true, and because some girl he hardly knew was telling him all this. But, oddly, he found himself almost yearning to know. And he felt conflicted, near ashamed, for not being furious enough to tell her to fuck off, or at least walk away...pretending he hadn't even listened to a thing she had said. "And she misses the fact that you miss it. That she can't do any of that for you anymore. But know this, she is always with you. Even if her body is not."

"I want to believe you, I just don't think I can." And Ed swiftly climbed the steps, passing her and disappearing into the inn.


	7. Want, Can't or Won't?

_Chapter 7: Want, Can't or Won't?_

"So you buy it?" Ed grumbled from his slumped position on the bed, one leg hanging off the side.

"I'm not buying anything here, brother, because there's nothing being sold. Elly's not lying about this," Al insisted. "I could see if she was demanding something in return from us but she's not. I know what I heard. I know how I felt and I know it's the truth. She told me about them forcing her to leave town. Elly was living with her grandmother and when her grandmother passed away, she had no one. And the town basically gained up on her. She had no choice but to leave."

"You told her about mom?"

"Mom? No, I never mentioned mom to her. You hadn't either. Why not?"

"I just didn't think it was necessary for her to know, that's all. But apparently, she does know. I thought you had told her."

"I didn't," Al assured. "I think, she can see-"

"Al...mom's gone," Ed warned.

"Her body might be, but her soul isn't. In that way, she's a lot like me." Ed widened his eyes, never considering this and he knit his brows together.

"But you're not dead, Al." A knock then came from the door and Al passed Ed to answer it.

"Hi," Ed heard his brother say pleasantly and he knew it was Elly.

"Hey," she replied. "I just came to get my things." And she gave Ed a small smile as he watched her. Her 'things' had only consisted of a small brown pack. She slung it's strap across her chest and took in a deep breath.

"Don't leave." Al pleaded quietly, his large form blocking the doorway. "You don't have to."

"I do," Elly retorted. Ed folded his arms,

"Why? Just because I said I don't believe you?"

"You said you 'can't' believe me," Elly corrected. "I am the way I am and so I can't change it. And I don't want to bother you with it."

"It doesn't bother me..." Ed contradicted.

"Now who's not telling the truth?" Elly replied, slipping past Al and out through the door.

"We can't just let her leave, Ed," Al insisted. "It's dangerous for her out there."

"What? And it's not for us?"

"But she doesn't have anyone. She's...all alone." _I wonder why_, Ed thought sarcastically. Groaning, he past quickly by Al to the outside and down the hall. He finally managed to catch up with her outside, his brother right behind him now.

"Damn, you walk fast." Ed proclaimed, striding quickly beside her. Elly closed her eyes and stopped, adjusting the strap to her bag.

"Can I help you?"

"The help I need can't be given," Ed half joked but it got no chuckle out of her. A hint of the beginnings of a smile did make itself known, however, and she shook her head.

"Story of our lives," and she locked eyes with him. "You do realize this is the second time you've chased after me." Ed blushed, but it quickly faded.

"I never chased after you before. I simply _happened_ upon you..." Elly folded her arms. Ed sighed, knowing he better just get on with it.

"I think you should stick with us. For a little while." Elly studied him, convinced Ed was only doing this out of love for his brother because he knew Al genuinely liked her. But even if that had been the only reason, it actually seemed to make her admire him more. But only just a little bit. He was putting his siblings needs before his own.

"But won't it bother you?"

"You don't smell THAT bad," Ed teased, a wide grin spreading about his face. He clearly delighted in mocking her.

"Alright then," She agreed, a part of her grateful he didn't appear too upset with her anymore. Elly passed him and Al stood stiffly, watching her walk back toward the inn, confused why she hadn't shot back with a retort. She hadn't gotten very far when she grinned, her back still turned.

"And you're not THAT short," Elly stated simply. Ed exploded, chasing after her down the dimly lit street, screaming wildly; Al was at his brothers heels, futilely trying to calm him. Elly laughed all the way, proclaiming, "This is three times now, Elric!"


End file.
